- There are a few other places named Jefferson in Wisconsin.
Jefferson is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, and is its county seat. It is located at the confluence of the Rock and Crawfish Rivers. The population was 7,338 at the 2000 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Jefferson.
History
The location of Jefferson was selected to make use of the water power and transportation opportunities offered by the Rock River. It was the furthest point that a steamboat was able to navigate the Rock, in 1884.[3] Unfortunately for Jefferson, that was the only time it was visited by a steamboat, as bridges were built downstream that prevented navigation.
During World War II, Camp Jefferson, a prison camp for German POW's, was erected at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.[4] The Jefferson County Fairgrounds hosted horse buggy racing prior to the renovations to the new fairgrounds.
Geography
Jefferson is located at 43°0′11″N 88°48′28″W / 43.00306°N 88.80778°W / 43.00306; -88.80778 (43.003091, -88.807855)[5].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12.1 km²), of which, 4.5 square miles (11.6 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (4.29%) is water.
Jefferson's elevation is 797 ft (243 m).
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 7,338 people, 2,816 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,645.9 people per square mile (635.3/km²). There were 2,934 housing units at an average density of 658.1/sq mi (254.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.28% White, 0.53% Black or African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.04% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. 6.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 2,816 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,962, and the median income for a family was $47,737. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $25,142 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,124. About 5.4% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over
Education
In Jefferson there are six schools: two elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and two private schools. In 1939, East Elementary School was built as a public works project during the Great Depression. The names of the schools are East Elementary, West Elementary, Jefferson Middle School, Jefferson High School, St. John's Catholic, and St. John's Lutheran.
Economy
Renew Energy is an ethanol plant located in Jefferson. There is also a large Purina Dog Food Manufacturing plant, a Tyson Foods Plant, and the Home Power Products Division of Briggs & Stratton Corporation.
Notable people
Notes
External links
